Anorexia Nervosa Research Paper

Words: 1110
Pages: 5

Anorexia is one of the most physically destructive mental disorders. Side effects include (but are not limited to): yellow skin that may become covered in fine, pale hair called lanugo; amenorrhea, which is the loss of menstruation and may result in infertility; osteoporosis, which makes the bones brittle and more prone to breaking; muscular atrophy, which results in slowness and fatigue; erratic heartbeats, which can cause panic attacks; and kidney stones, and perhaps even kidney failure. While the official mortality rate of anorexia nervosa hovers around 4%, this percentage does not take into consideration side effects produced by the disorder, such as heart or organ failure or simply suicide. If those deaths fitting the above characteristics are included, the anorexia mortality rate skyrockets to nearly 20%. Additionally, this does not account for undiagnosed sufferers, which often includes males; doctors are more likely to diagnose female patients with anorexia than their male counterparts, and as a result, only one in ten …show more content…
Like anorexia, however, there are several unpleasant results of bulimia, including: cavities or other tooth decay as a result of vomiting; irritation of the stomach, esophagus, throat, and mouth, which can also include vocal cord damage (again, as a result of vomiting); electrolyte imbalance and dehydration, which can lead to seizures; bloody vomit and blood vessels in the eyes bursting; irregular heartbeats and potential cardiac arrest; and gastric rupture and/or Barrett’s esophagus, which is the eroding of the esophageal flap and can lead to cancer. Any of the aforementioned symptoms can cause extreme discomfort or even death. Finally, also like with anorexia, male diagnoses are less common, due to the embarrassment of the individual (as the disorder may seem like a “girl problem”) or reluctance of the